The widow of John Gutfreund, dubbed "The King of Wall Street" and former CEO of Saloman Brothers investment bank until a trading scandal forced his resignation in 1991, is apparently looking to down-size after her husband's death last month.

The apartment was decorated with the guidance of the legendary designer Henri Samuel whose influence can be seen especially in the Winter Garden, a reception room at the southwest corner of the entrance level.

The room known as the Winter Gardenin the Gutfreund apartment.Photo: NYSD

The building is one of Manhattan's most prestigious addresses. Designed by architect Rosario Candela in 1929, it was completed in 1931.

Views of the Winter Garden, Library, Living Room,and Gallery Entrance Hall in the Gutfreundapartment at 834 Fifth Avenue.Image: The Real Deal

There are twenty four apartments on 16 floors with luxurious, well thought out, floor plans. It is thought that the building's board requires that sales are all cash; no mortgages are allowed.

18 comments:

As shocking as it may sound, you might prove to be correct. But renovations have to be approved by the board, and the is always a possibility that a complete demolition would not be permitted. In any case, with construction confined to the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day, a complete redo for an apartment that size would take several years.

I love big public Winter Gardens, especially in holiday cities in Britain and Austria. But the idea of a Winter Garden inside a private home strikes me as very innovative. Love your image of the Gutfreund reception room with large windows on both sides of the corner. Very civilised, I call it :)

I was thinking about that; a couple of people are going to have a nice commission check. Of course, it could stay on the market for years, especially if the co-op board is not happy. And there is always the danger, I suppose, of the homeowner wanting to switch agents after so much work and expense has gone into setting it all up for sale in the first place.

A striking interior...worthy alone as a perched aerie above the bustling hustling jostling masses...but more so as a rare untouched gem by Samuel...one wonders how much Mrs. Wrightsman guided as well. Wonder if she regrets the quick delete of those rare carved Palms shown on original JANSEN book - now available for about a mil...she swept them out IMMEDIATELY as she considered them old wave to install her new vision...now will someone do the same...perhaps a Bestegui Crystal floating spiral staircase, minimalist to no mouldings, Venetian plastered walls in greige, rolled steel panel floors edged in terrazzo rococo style...oh the infinite possibilities...though it's 'Parfait' all the way for 'Moi' as is...j'adore the 18thC Pineapple holders - museum pieces for sure and the magnificent cerise caftan she is pictured in greeting us all! Another little cloud you whisked me away today on...

Yes, I MIGHT have relocated the "palms" to another part of the apartment, but I would not have let them go, probably for a pittance (and now for sale at $950,000). A limit on construction to the period from Memorial Day to Labor Day may inhibit today's I-Want-It-Now billionaires. And then there's the decorators determined to completely erase any evidence of the current decor for fear that their new installation would too easily bring up unfavorable comparisons. There are too many examples to mention. But let's not be negative -- the next owners may add even more style!

834 Fifth Avenue does not have summer work rules. Yes I am certain. The most luxurious co-op in New York surely belongs to the Schwarzmans at 740, with 19,000 square feet and a ceiling height of 15feet on the first floor, plus terraces, it is amazing. The palm trees were removed from the dining room because the dining room was removed from the apartment to make way for a larger staircase and bedroom area on the first floor. What was the drawing room became the park facing dining room. I believe kitchen access was added also at that time. The current drawing room upstairs was created from two bedrooms. Also, the Palm trees were not added by Jansen for the Blair's, but added by Marian Hall for the Schmidlapps, the residents before the Blairs. Jansen merely kept them in place when they renovated for the Blairs.

Yes, I regret that I cannot include images as footnotes in the comments, but the palm trees were documented as being commissioned by decorator Marian Hall, inspired by the tea pavilion at Moor House designed by Robert Adam. Thank you for commenting, J.

My pleasure and thank you for all of your wonderful posts! This was a very chic apartment when the Schmidlapps had it- the oval Adam room was removed after they died and sent to auction. It was most probably chic under ownership of the Blairs and Lachmanns, however I have never seen photos. It's very chic in its current incarnation, however the current floor plan is absolutely unrecognizable from it's previous incarnations. It's certainly possible that a new owner would want a more conventional floor plan. As this building has seen a parade of the world's top architects and designers throughout the years, it is likely that it's next incarnation will be equally beautiful, even if it's not the same. Btw it is a cash building and the new owner would need high liquidity after purchase, of course. Thanks, again.

@Jay you are quite wrong about this apartments original layout.This duplex was a special comission by Schmidlapps to the builder A. Campagna and his architect Rosario Candela.It was and is a very unsual duplex from the start.The public rooms took the entire Fifth Avenue frontage, the lower floor layout is the same as in 1931- the dining room with 3 windows on CP and the corner reception room, now labelled winter garden.Upstairs there was a corner library-same size as the reception room, and above the dining room you had the formal living room with 3 windows on the Park.The staircase was modified too, there were no outside windows overlooking the stair hall, there was the powder bathroom and another bath belonging to a sidestreet facing bedroom .The bedrooms where placed on both floors, downstairs there were 2 actual bedrooms and a sitting room in the S-E corner.Upstairs you had another 2 beds and a corner boudoir.The current garden-east facing library was another bedroom.The entire service area was on the lower floor.So you had 4 public rooms, 7 beds/boudoirs and the service wing contained a huge kitchen, laundry, servants hall, 4 maids rooms in the far eastern portion .Another 2 rooms below the current library plus 2 maids rooms in other area of the building.As for the former Rockefeller unit at 740 Park Avenue, its actually nearly 14000 square feet, the nearly 20000 figure is GROSS-including walls, elevator shafts, vestibules,vents...that is certainly bigger but not necessarily the most luxurious cooperative in the City.

Your interest in this blog is appreciated. Other commitments might prevent an immediate response to your comments or questions. That does not lessen the value of the blog reader's input, however. Only comments relating to the current post are eligible for publication; non-relevant comments and promotional references will be deleted. Contact me at johnjtackett@gmail.com regarding other questions. Anonymous comments cannot be accepted.

About Me

With a Bachelor of Architecture degree and further training with remarkable employers, not the least being the legendary interiors firm, Parish-Hadley, I founded my own multi-faceted studio in 1987, John Tackett Design. Classic residential projects -- new houses and renovations -- have been completed nationwide: Lake Vermillion, MN, to Palm Beach, FL, and Mount Desert Island, ME, to Pebble Beach, CA. Collaborations are welcome.
johnjtackett@gmail.com